Combustion engine crankcase breather system and method

ABSTRACT

In a combustion engine, an exit stream of blow-by gases follows a fluid pathway through an oil and air separator and a breather filter, the oil and air separator including a first housing including a central chamber therein, the central chamber divided into a first outer portion and a second inner portion by a barrier; a filter material disposed between the first outer portion and the second inner portion; a cap directly coupled to the first housing, the cap including a first lumen therethrough, the first lumen including a first end disposed at the second inner portion; and a coupler removably coupling the cap and an extension portion including a second lumen therethrough.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of, and relates and claimspriority to, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/532,602, filed on Aug.6, 2019, now U.S. patent Ser. No. ______ issued on ______, 2020; whichis a continuation of, and relates and claims priority to, U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/280,979, filed on Feb. 20, 2019, now U.S. Pat.No. 10,408,100 issued on Sep. 10, 2019; which is a continuation-in-partof, and relates and claims priority to, U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/496,058, filed on Apr. 25, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,233,802 issuedon Mar. 19, 2019.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The invention relates generally to the removal of crankcase oil from oneor more exit airstreams from a crankcase of an internal combustionengine, and more particularly to the use of an oil and air separatordownstream from an engine oil fill port and/or upstream from the intakemanifold in a recycling system including a positive crankcaseventilation (PCV) valve, and more specifically to a combustion enginecrankcase breather system including an oil and air separator.

BACKGROUND

In a combustion engine, blow-by gases typically include unburnedgasoline. That is, an amount of air and unburned gasoline from theengine cylinder is pulled past the piston rings and into the crankcase.

In one instance, blow-by gases might be exhausted to the atmospherethrough a breather system coupled directly to an engine oil fill port.See FIG. 1. In another instance, instead of exhausting blow-by gases tothe atmosphere, a positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system recyclesthe blow-by gases through a PCV valve into the engine's intake manifold.Such recycling occurs when the engine is operating at relatively slowspeeds (e.g. idling), i.e., when the air pressure in the crankcase ishigher than the air pressure in the intake manifold.

One problem associated with breather systems and PCV systems and theiruse involves oil vapors. An engine's crankcase is used to store oil. Apan located below the crankshaft holds oil, and generally oil vaporsfrom the oil in the pan may find their way into the blow-by gases.

In a combustion engine, crankcase breathers have been used as areplacement for an engine oil fill cap. See FIG. 1. A crankcase breather10 creates a fluid pathway for engine combustion gases to travel throughthe engine oil fill port 20 and through the crankcase breather 10 to theatmosphere. The crankcase breather 10 may include a means 30 forfiltering oil from the combustion gases. However, a problem exists inthat the top filter means 30 allows oil to blow all over in the enginebay, creating a huge mess. Control of the oil from the exhaust gases isunmanageable. There is no way to prevent the escape of oil to theenvironment, and no way to prevent oil undesirable oil dripping (e.g.,onto driveways, garage floors).

It is also undesirable for oil to be recycled with blow-by gases into anengine's intake manifold. Such recycled oil may degrade engineperformance by lowering the overall octane of the combustion mixture ina cylinder. Such recycled oil also may coat the air intake and preventairflow. To help combat the presence of oil in blow-by gases,“dirty-side” oil and air separators were developed to remove the oilfrom the blow-by gases before recirculation through the PCV valve andinto the intake manifold. However, when the air pressure in thecrankcase is higher than the air pressure in the intake manifold, it isalso possible that blow-by gases will travel upstream (or backwards)into the “clean-side” assembly that leads from the PCV valve to theintake manifold.

There are various different models or types of oil and air separatorsavailable. One popular type of oil and air separator involves passingoily blow-by gases through a filter material. The oil collects indroplets on the filter material, which may be held in place by a screen.The oil is allowed to drop into the bottom of a can where the oilcollects for later removal. This “can approach” to oil and airseparation is not without its drawbacks, however.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides oil and air separation systems andmethods. In one exemplary embodiment, an oil and air separator includes:(a) a first housing including a central chamber therein, the centralchamber divided into a first outer portion and a second inner portion bya barrier; (b) a filter material disposed between the first outerportion and the second inner portion; (c) a cap directly coupled to thefirst housing, the cap including a first lumen therethrough, the firstlumen including a first end disposed at the second inner portion; (d) anextension portion including a second lumen therethrough; and (e) acoupler removably coupling the cap and the extension portion. Inalternate embodiments, the oil and air separator may be provided incombination with one or more of: (a) a sensor such as an air flowsensor, (b) a PCV valve, (c) a one-way check valve, and (d) a breathersystem.

Other benefits and advantages of the present disclosure will beappreciated from the following detailed description.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary prior art breather systemfor combustion engine crankcase gases.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an improvedbreather system for combustion engine crankcase gases.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a one-way valve and connector for anengine oil fill port for use in the exemplary embodiment of an improvedbreather system for combustion engine crankcase gases shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a clean-sideoil and air separator.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the exemplary embodiment of a clean-sideoil and air separator shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the exemplary embodiment of a clean-side oiland air separator shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the exemplary embodiment of aclean-side oil and air separator shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 is an assembly view illustrating, among other things, theremovably coupling of the first housing and the second housing of theexemplary embodiment of a clean-side oil and air separator shown in FIG.4.

FIG. 9 is an assembly view of the coupler of the exemplary embodiment ofa clean-side oil and air separator shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 10 is an assembly view of the first housing of the exemplaryembodiment of a clean-side oil and air separator shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of an oiland air separator including an air flow sensor.

FIG. 12A is a side view in partially exploded form of an exemplaryembodiment of a PCV valve.

FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view of the PCV valve shown in FIG. 12A.

FIG. 12C is a perspective view of the cap component of the PCV valveshown in FIGS. 12A and 12B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the invention and various alternatives are described.Those skilled in the art will recognize, given the teachings herein,that numerous alternatives and equivalents exist which do not departfrom the invention. It is therefore intended that the invention not belimited by the description set forth herein or below.

One or more specific embodiments of the system and method will bedescribed below. These described embodiments are only exemplary of thepresent disclosure. Additionally, in an effort to provide a concisedescription of these exemplary embodiments, all features of an actualimplementation may not be described in the specification. It should beappreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation,as in any engineering or design project, numerousimplementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve thedevelopers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related andbusiness-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation toanother. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a developmenteffort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be aroutine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those ofordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.

Further, for clarity and convenience only, and without limitation, thedisclosure (including the drawings) sets forth exemplary representationsof only certain aspects of events and/or circumstances related to thisdisclosure. Those skilled in the art will recognize, given the teachingsherein, additional such aspects, events and/or circumstances related tothis disclosure, e.g., additional elements of the devices described;events occurring related to oil and air separation; etc. Such aspectsrelated to this disclosure do not depart from the invention, and it istherefore intended that the invention not be limited by the certainaspects set forth of the events and circumstances related to thisdisclosure.

The present disclosure in one embodiment provides an oil and airseparator in fluid communication with an exit airstream from acombustion engine crankcase. The oil and air separator may be used in afirst embodiment in an airstream for venting blow-by gases to theatmosphere. The oil and air separator in a second embodiment may be usedin an airstream that is recycled into a combustion engine's intakemanifold.

In accordance with the first embodiment involving venting blow-by gasesto the atmosphere, the present disclosure provides an improved breathersystem for a combustion engine crankcase. More particularly, in oneexemplary embodiment, a system includes a one-way valve coupled to aconnector adapted with threads to serve as a replacement for an engineoil fill cap. A fluid communication pathway is provided from the enginecrankcase through the connector and valve to the inlet of an oil and airseparator system. The oil and air separator system includes a canincluding internal means for separating oil from the airstream followingthe fluid pathway from the engine crankcase. The internal means mayinclude a barrier between a first chamber and a second chamber withinthe can. The barrier may include a filter material for separating oilfrom air, for example stainless steel wool or other coalescing meshmaterial. At the exit port of the oil and air separator system abreather may be provided that includes a second filter material throughwhich engine crankcase gases may be vented to the atmosphere.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary prior art breather system for combustionengine crankcase gases. The crankcase breather 10 creates a fluidpathway for engine combustion gases to travel through the engine oilfill port 20 and through the crankcase breather 10 to the atmosphere.The crankcase breather 10 may include a means 30 for filtering oil fromthe combustion gases.

An improved breather system for combustion engine crankcase gases inaccordance with the present disclosure is shown by way of example inFIGS. 2 and 3. A connector 100 may be provided that includes a threadedportion 110 and an o-ring 120. The connector 100 serves as a replacementfor an engine oil fill cap. Coupled to the connector 100 may be aone-way valve 130.

As shown in FIG. 2, the connector 100 and one-way valve 130 form an exitport 140 for combustion engine crankcase gases. The exit port 140 may befluidly coupled via tubing 150, 160 to an oil and air separator 170. Afirst quick release coupling 180 may be provided proximate the exit port140, and a second quick release coupling 190 may be provided proximateoil and air separator 170.

The oil and air separator 170 may include a can 200 including internalmeans for separating oil from the airstream following the fluid pathwayfrom the engine crankcase. The internal means may include a barrierbetween a first chamber and a second chamber within the can. The barriermay include a filter material for separating oil from air, for examplestainless steel wool or other coalescing mesh material. At the exit portof the oil and air separator 170 a breather 210 may be provided thatincludes a second filter material 220 through which engine crankcasegases may be vented to the atmosphere.

In this way, a system for managing oil entrained in a crankcase exhaustflow is provided. Oil may be separated from the exhaust airstream andcollected in the can of the oil and air separator, preventingundesirable oil dispersal about the engine bay and onto surfaces such asdriveways and garage floors.

In accordance with the second embodiment involving recycling blow-bygases, the recycled gases may be provided, for example, to an intakemanifold port or to an engine oil fill port. By way of example, as shownin FIG. 4, an exemplary embodiment of a clean-side oil and air separator310 including a first housing 320, a second housing 330, and a coupler340 removably connecting the first housing 320 and the second housing330. The first housing 320 includes an air intake 350 including an airintake port 360. The air intake port 360 receives recycled blow-by gasesthat have passed through a PCV valve. The second housing 330 includes athreaded portion 370 that enables the second housing 330 to serve as adirect replacement for a removable engine oil fill cap. An o-ring 375may be positioned about the second housing 330 to help reduce theoutward passage of fluids at the engine oil fill port. The secondhousing 330 also includes an opening 380 that is in direct fluidcommunication with an engine's intake manifold when the second housing330 is removably installed at the engine's engine oil fill port. Acontinuous fluid pathway is disposed within the first housing 320, thesecond housing 330, and the coupler 340 that extends between the airintake port 360 and the opening 380.

In an alternate embodiment, a replacement for an engine oil fill cap(i.e., second housing 330) need not be coupled to first housing 320.Instead, a continuous fluid pathway may be formed between the air intakeport 360 and an engine's air intake manifold, not utilizing the theengine oil fill port for the recycling of blow-by gases. In such aninstance, the engine oil fill port may be coupled to a breather systemas described above.

As shown in FIGS. 5-7, the first housing 320 includes a cap 390threadingly engaged with main body portion 400. An o-ring 410 may bepositioned between the cap 390 and the main body portion 400 to helpprevent the passage of fluids therebetween. The air intake 350 isthreadingly engaged with the main body portion 400, so that a continuousfluid pathway exists from air intake port 360, through lumen 420included within air intake 350, to a central chamber 430 disposed withinfirst housing 320. A tubularly-shaped barrier or wall 440 is disposedwithin central chamber 430. A first end 450 of wall 440 is threadinglyengaged to one end 460 of first housing 320. The wall 440 in effectdivides the central chamber 430 into a first outer portion 470 and asecond inner portion 480. A filter 490 separates outer portion 470 andinner portion 480, so that all fluid flow between outer portion 470 andinner portion 480 must pass through the filter 490. In one embodiment,the filter 490 includes a coalescing filter. In another embodiment, thefilter 490 includes a screen. In another embodiment, the filter 490includes stainless steel wool.

The cap 390 includes a lumen 500 therethrough. At one end, the lumen 500is in fluid communication with the central chamber 430 at inner portion480. At the opposite end, the lumen 500 is adapted to receive a portionof an extension 510 of second housing 330. The extension 510 may be agenerally tubularly-shaped member including a lumen 520 therethrough.The extension 510 may be threadingly engaged with the main body portion530 of second housing 330 at lumen 540 therethrough. Thus, a continuousfluid pathway is formed between opening 380 and port 360 through lumen540, lumen 520, lumen 500, chamber portion 480, filter 490, chamberportion 470, and lumen 420.

End 550 of cap 390 may be adapted to form, or join with, the coupler340. The coupler 340 includes an assembly of parts that permits aportion of extension 510 to be releasably received within lumen 500 ofcap 390 at end 550. See FIG. 9. AMT or other style couplers may be used.

In accordance with the description herein, a method of oil and airseparation may include providing an oil and air separator including acoalescing filter material disposed within a fluid pathway through theseparator. The separator may include a first housing including thefilter material, a second housing adapted for connecting to an engineoil fill port, and a coupler removably coupling or joining the firsthousing and the second housing.

As shown in FIG. 11, an alternate embodiment of an oil and air separatorincluding a sensor 600 may be provided. The sensor may be positionedproximate the air intake port 360 of first housing 320. A continuousfluid pathway may extend from the sensor 600 to the air intake port 360and beyond. The sensor may be provided to measure one or more operatingcharacteristics of the PCV system. In an alternate embodiment, multiplesensors may be provided for the fluid pathway to monitor one or moreoperating characteristics. The sensor shown in FIG. 11 measures the airflow in the PCV system. The sensor is a variable voltage sensor in thata voltage varies as the air flow in the fluid pathway increases ordecreases. When an undesirable air flow is detected, the sensor mayindicate a signal via line 610 that is processed to turn on a vehicle's“check engine” light.

In accordance with the present description, a PCV valve 700 is shown inFIGS. 12A, 12B and 12C. The PCV valve 700 may include a first end 710adapted with a threaded portion 720 for connection to an intake manifoldport. An o-ring 785 may be used to seal the connection. The second end730 of PCV valve 700 may include a threaded portion for receiving a port740. The port 740 includes a lumen 745 therethrough which is in fluidcommunication with a lumen 800 through the PCV valve 700. The port 740in one embodiment may be an insert with male threads. In anotherembodiment, the port 740 may be a cap-like structure with femalethreads. In one embodiment, the size of the lumen through port 740 maybe adjusted by removing a first port 740 with a predetermined lumen sizeand replacing the first port 740 with a second port having a larger orsmaller lumen than first port 740. Accordingly, in one embodiment thePCV valve 700 may comprise a kit including one or more ports that may bereceived at end 730 of PCV valve 700. By a user selecting a desired sizeport component, more precise control of the airflow through PCV valve700 may be achieved.

As shown in FIG. 12B, the first end 710 includes an insert 750 with alumen 760 therethrough. A cap 770 may be urged by spring 790 againstbottom surface 780 of insert 750, so that the cap 770 may close thelumen 760. However, when a sufficient pressure differential existsacross cap 770, the spring 790 may be compressed so that a continuousopen fluid pathway extends from lumen 760 past cap 770 via cut-outs 775to the lumen 800 of the main body portion of PCV valve 700.

It should be understood that the foregoing description is onlyillustrative of the invention. Various alternatives and modificationscan be devised by those skilled in the art having the benefit of thisdisclosure, without departing from the invention. Accordingly, theinvention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modificationsand variances.

Certain exemplary embodiments of the disclosure may be described. Ofcourse, the embodiments may be modified in form and content, and are notexhaustive, i.e., additional aspects of the disclosure, as well asadditional embodiments, will be understood and may be set forth in viewof the description herein. Further, while the invention may besusceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specificembodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and willbe described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that theinvention is not intended to be limited to the particular formsdisclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications,equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of theinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A breather system for a combustion enginecrankcase including an engine oil fill port comprising, in series: (a) aconnector including a threaded portion, the connector serving as areplacement for an engine oil fill port cap; (b) a one-way valve fluidlycoupled to the connector; (c) an oil and air separator fluidly coupledto the connector via the one-way valve; and (d) a breather filterfluidly coupled to an exit port of the oil and air separator, whereincombustion engine crankcase gases may flow from the crankcase throughthe connector, valve, separator, and breather filter to the atmosphere;and wherein the oil and air separator removes a portion of oil entrainedin the combustion engine crankcase gases exiting the combustion enginecrankcase.
 2. The breather system of claim 1, wherein the oil and airseparator includes: a can including a first chamber fluidly coupled tothe separator inlet and a second chamber fluidly coupled to theseparator exit port; and a barrier separating the first chamber and thesecond chamber.
 3. The breather system of claim 2, wherein the barrierincludes a coalescing filter material.
 4. The breather system of claim3, wherein the coalescing filter material includes steel wool.
 5. Amethod of removing oil from combustion engine crankcase gasescomprising: providing a one-way valve in series with an oil and airseparator between a source of engine crankcase gases and a breatherfilter to form a continuous fluid pathway from the crankcase through theone-way filter, through the oil and air separator, and through thebreather filter to the atmosphere; wherein the oil and air separator iseffective to remove a portion of oil entrained in the gases travelingthrough the continuous fluid pathway.
 6. The method of claim 5, whereinthe oil and air separator includes a coalescing filter material.
 7. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the coalescing filter material includes steelwool.
 8. The method of claim 5 wherein the source of engine crankcasegases is an engine oil fill port.
 9. A breather system for a combustionengine crankcase comprising: (a) a connector including a threadedportion removably coupled to a source of combustion engine crankcasegases; (b) a one-way valve fluidly coupled to the connector; (c) an oiland air separator fluidly coupled to the connector via the one-wayvalve; and (d) a breather filter fluidly coupled to an exit port of theoil and air separator, wherein combustion engine crankcase gases mayflow through the connector, valve, separator, and breather filter to theatmosphere; and wherein the oil and air separator removes a portion ofoil entrained in the combustion engine crankcase gases exiting thecombustion engine crankcase.
 10. The breather system of claim 9, whereinthe oil and air separator includes: a can including a first chamberfluidly coupled to the separator inlet and a second chamber fluidlycoupled to the separator exit port; and a barrier separating the firstchamber and the second chamber.
 11. The breather system of claim 10,wherein the barrier includes a coalescing filter material.
 12. Thebreather system of claim 11, wherein the coalescing filter materialincludes steel wool.
 13. The breather system of claim 9 wherein thesource of combustion engine crankcase gases is an engine oil fill port.